18 Finding IthacaFor years, people have wondered whether Homer’s Odyssey is at all true. Now, geologists are helping to locate real-world sites in the epic poem, including Odysseus’ homeland of Ithaca. Megan Sever

24 Buried Beneath the Black Sea:
Cities and Ships SubmergedAn expedition to the Black Sea last summer led to some
surprising discoveries found preserved under the waters,
including ancient ships and submerged coastlines.Carolyn Gramling

30 Geophysics in the Valley of the KingsGeophysical techniques and tools, such as ground penetrating radar and magnetometers, help rediscover Egypt’s lost tombs. Leanne Mallory

PLUS:New maps key to preserving old tombs

NEWS
& VIEWS7
COMMENT
International Collaboration in Global Science: Price or Prize?The International Year of Planet Earth begins this month. It will challenge the world’s geological community to seek solutions to some of the greatest geoscience-based problems of our age. Edward Derbyshire

17 POLITICAL SCENE
Diversity in the Geosciences — We Can Do BetterThe geosciences are facing a recruitment predicament in education and the workforce.Margaret Anne Baker

36 GEOPHENOMENANational park awash with costly destruction

38 TRENDS & INNOVATIONS
More Digging Ahead to Unlock Dinosaurs’ PastsIn the past two decades alone, paleontologists have described as many dinosaurs as have been described since 1824. Researchers suggest that another 1,300 genera may yet to be found.David Williams

42 ENERGY & RESOURCES Shiny outlook for greener aluminum production
Did you know? U.S. oil consumption and reserves
Mineral resource of the month: Kyanite

44 GEOMEDIAMovies: IMAX film storms into wetland issues: A review of Hurricane on the BayouBooks: An earthquake — and fire and racism in the aftermath: A review of Yokohama BurningOn the Web: Web gets serious about Ceres